1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to cooking appliances and more particularly to cooking appliances that provide different cooking surfaces.
2. Description of Related Art
Cooking appliances generally have different surfaces for accommodating different cooking styles. For example, flat cooking surfaces are used for griddling; ribbed cooking surfaces, for grilling. In home applications constraints on storage areas, utilization factors and costs often preclude a family from purchasing an individual cooking appliance to provide each type of cooking surface; such as one pan or cooking appliance with a flat surface for griddling and another pan or cooking appliance with a ribbed surface for grilling.
A number of efforts have been made to develop pans and cooking appliances that incorporate two cooking surfaces. Initially multiple cooking surface were incorporated in cooking pans that were adapted to be placed on an independent cooking surface, such as a stove. U.S. Pat. No. 1,733,450 (1929) to Detwiler for a cooking utensil and U.S. Pat. No. 2,198,646 (1940) to Walcott for a cooking utensil described two examples. Detwiler discloses a reversible cooking utensil in which one side is adapted to be used as a griddle and the other side is grooved to for use as a broiler or grill. Walcott discloses a similar structure that has a parallel ribbed surface for broiling and a flat surface for frying or griddling.
More recently efforts have been made to provide multiple cooking surfaces in self-contained cooking appliances. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,348,470 (1967) to Swanson discloses a waffle maker with an upper and lower housing. Each of the upper and lower housings contains a heating element that is closely juxtaposed a removable and reversible cooking plate or grid that has a griddle surface on one side and a waffle surface on the other side.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,632,982 (1972) to Linger discloses a surface cooktop that has first and second positions. In a first position a cooking element is disposed in a recess of a stove counter or the like so that it is flush with the surface. For cooking the unit is removed and reversed to expose a flat cooking surface elevated above the counter. In reversing the structure electrical contacts are enabled to connect into electrical power.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,011,431 (1976) to Levin discloses an electric cooker with an electric heating element and base interposed by an invertible grill. The opposite faces of this grill present a circular dam for hamburgers or the like and a rectangular dam for sandwiches. A peripheral heating element in the cover provides heating.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,840,684 (1958) to Watkins discloses a cooking appliance in the form of a combination frying pan and griddle. This cooking appliance includes a heating element embedded in a peripheral wall of heat conducting material. A relatively thin heating plate spans the peripheral wall and includes a ribbed cooking surface on one side and a flat cooking surface on the other side. It is integrally formed with the peripheral side wall. In a first position the appliance provides a griddle surface; in a second, inverted position, a grilling surface. Even heating in this structure is attributed to using the combination of the thin heating element and the more massive peripheral wall with its embedded heater.
Placing a heater in the peripheral wall of heat conducting material assumes that the external surface of the heating pan becomes very hot. In Watkins legs space the cooking surface above a countertop to prevent heat radiating from the cooking surface from damaging the countertop. After use the cooking appliance apparently must be stored in some horizontal orientation as for cooking. The orientation is not conducive to placing other items on top of the cooking appliance. Consequently Watkins' cooking appliance will consume a significant storage volume. In addition the cooking appliance incorporates an integral thermostatic control. In a dishwasher environment, it is likely that water will penetrate any covers and corrode or otherwise destroy the electrical connections leading to premature failure. Thus, the cooking appliance is not dishwasher safe and must be washed by hand.